Memories Of Him
by Erincoffeeaddict
Summary: Jim is sick in bed. All he has is the memory of his dear friend Plato. (Slash)
1. Chapter 1

Jim Stark lay in his bed with the blankets wrapped around his shivering body. It was a school day but he was kept home today because of his fever. His bedroom was dark and he had nothing to do except listen to the rain and thunder outside. Sitting up weakly, Jim picked up his cup of water and took a sip. He had to drink lots of liquids since he couldn't keep anything else down.

After a couple more sips of cool water, Jim settled himself back down and buried his face into the extra pillows that his mother had brought for him. As if being sick wasn't bad enough, he was also in a depressed state mind – haunted by the recent death of his beloved friend Plato.

A sad smile came to Jim's face as he fondly remembered his young, dark-haired companion. He closed his eyes and let his memory travel back…

Plato. Just thinking about him made Jim feel warm all over. He remembered this one time when Plato kissed him. It happened when the two were standing outside Jim's house one evening. There was nobody else around. The two friends were talking to each other when suddenly, Plato leaned forward and kissed Jim on the lips. Stunned, Jim ended their conversation and went back inside the house. But he wouldn't forget that kiss in a million years.

Jim was straight. No doubt about that. He loved Judy very much. Dear, sweet Judy. But he knew that Plato had a massive crush on him, and Jim was flattered by that. Who wouldn't be? Plato was certainly a very, very handsome boy.

Oh God, his eyes…those big, beautiful, Sicilian brown eyes! The way those eyes would get so adorably big when he opened them wide. And the way they crinkled warmly at the edges when he smiled.

And Plato's lips were uber warm and incredibly soft. Even softer than Judy's lips. Jim couldn't believe how delectable that boy's lips were. In only that quick smooth, Jim tasted a delicious sweetness and all the spices of Sicily. Those were lips to melt in your mouth.

And that gorgeous, dark hair…Jim loved everything about it. He loved how soft it felt and how good it smelled.

"Rest in Peace, my friend," Jim said suddenly, his voice sickly and feeble. "I hope you know that, no matter what …I will always love you."

The End


	2. Chapter 2

_Jim Stark found himself back at the old mansion, standing at the top of the staircase. He looked downward and saw Plato clinging to the banister, smiling proudly up at him. Plato was looking ever so enchanting with his black hair, adorable grin, and big wet eyes. Jim smiled back and ran down stairs, jumping over the side of the banister and spinning his friend playfully in the air. A smiling Judy was sitting on the floor, watching them fool around._

 _Jim was feeling practically playful today, so he locked one arm around his friend and started tickling him with the other. Plato yelped and sweet giggles poured from his throat._

" _No, Jim! Stahahap!" squealed the dark-haired youth._

 _Jim found this too adorable and wanted to keep tickling him, but he had compassion and soon let up. Plato took a moment to catch his breath, then he beamed and gave Jim a tight hug._

 _Smiling, Jim returned the hug but was taken by surprise when he felt Plato's fingers tickling on his sides. Jim exploded with laughter and sank down to his knees._

" _I gotcha! I gotcha!" Plato exclaimed happily as he tickled Jim into submission._

" _I-I know!" Jim chuckled, when Plato stopped to let him get a breather._

 _Then Jim and Plato looked over at Judy and started advancing toward her, with wiggling fingers._

" _Oh no, you don't!" she said, jumping up and running away. The two boys laughed as they chased after her._

 _Soon the boys got tired out and laid down on the floor next to each other, panting. When Judy saw them looking exhausted, she came out of her hiding place and joined them on the floor._

" _I want to live here forever," Plato said wistfully._

 _Jim and Judy looked at each other. "I don't see why not," Judy spoke._

" _Both of you will stay here with me, right? Forever?"_

" _Well, what do you think?" Jim reached out to ruffle his friend's hair._

 _Plato rolled over onto his stomach and rested his chin in his hands. He closed his eyes and a peaceful smile came to his face. Life was now perfect._

Jim woke up in his bed. It was all just a dream – a dream about how things were that night, before the monsters came. A tear rolled down Jim's cheek and hit the pillow. Plato was dead. Life would never really be perfect. Then in a flash of fury, Jim punched his pillow. Thinking about how things could have been was too painful for him. He buried his face in the pillow and sobbed.

The End


	3. Chapter 3

Jim was half-asleep when he heard a light knock on the door. His mother poked her head in and whispered, "Are you sleeping?"

"Who has time to sleep?" muttered the young man, as he buried his face in the warm pillow.

Mrs. Stark cleared her throat. "You have a visitor."

Jim glanced up and saw Judy standing beside his mother. He sat up quickly and motioned for her to come in.

"I'll leave you two alone," said Mrs. Stark, smiling at the young couple. Then she closed the door and went downstairs.

Judy walked over to the bed and sat down. "Hello, Jim. How are you feeling?"

Jim moaned softly and stretched. "Mmm…I've had better days."

Judy nestled up to him, laying her head on his chest. It felt good to be so close to the man she loved. Her best friend in the world. Still, they both had a burden on their minds.

"I dreamed about the mansion," Jim said, after a moment.

"I see," Judy replied.

"Plato was there."

Judy hugged him tighter. "Oh, Jim…"

"It felt so real," Jim continued, trying to keep his voice from cracking. "He was so close…I could see him and touch him. I felt his sweet breath on my face as we played together."

"He loved us, darling," whispered Judy.

Jim put his arm around her, burying his lips into her brown hair. "We loved him too…"

"That's right, and we'll never forget him," Judy stated, firmly. "You and I will work together to keep his memory alive. If we have a baby someday, we'll name him after Plato."

"I'll look forward to it," Jim answered, wistfully.

The couple was silent for a moment, listening to rain tapping against the window. There was a low rumble of thunder in the distance. Jim sighed, resting his tired head on top of Judy's.

"I don't know what I would do without you," Jim said, softly.

"I'm not going anywhere," she replied, stroking his chest. "You'll always have me to help you stay strong."

For the next hour, Jim and Judy continued to talk. They reminisced, reclining together on the bed. They talked about the good times that they had with each other, and with Plato. Jim's fever began to hurt less, because of the joy that filled his heart; talking about the fun times with his friends did that for him. Finally, he got too sleepy to talk anymore. Judy decided that it was time for her to leave.

"Get well soon, darling," she said, kissing him gently on the lips. She then got out of his bed and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Jim stared after her until his eyelids began to droop. He thought about Judy's kiss as he drifted back into dreamland. It reminded him of Plato's kiss...

Except…

It wasn't the same. Something about the way Plato had kissed him was unmatchable. Irreplaceable. He would never forget that kiss in a million years. He knew he loved Judy with all his heart, and he knew she loved him. But there something about Plato. Jim soon fell asleep, dreaming of his deceased friend once again.

The End


End file.
